call.
A pale blue flame fell onto the pile of money from the gold-plated flip-top lighter, quickly igniting the banknotes.
The entire nation was stunned by what they saw.
The reporter who conducted the interview was also present.
Kidnapping and bank robbery are not uncommon occurrences. In the eyes of the world, the difference between this crime and those in the past may simply be the amount of money involved.
This scene overturned their understanding; people who care about money could not afford to spend it so freely.
Shiraishi was very satisfied with their reaction. He recalled a Joker movie he had seen before, in which there was a scene where the Joker burned piles of money and then danced.
To be honest, he had always wanted to try something so extravagant, but he was always held back by insufficient funds and the fact that burning real money was illegal.
Now my dream has come true.
Shiraishi jumped off the counter and waved his hand.
Knowing better than to offer him a cigarette, Tai Hideo stepped forward and, as was the case with others offering him cigarettes before, took out a Cuban cigar from his pocket, cut off a piece, and obediently handed it over.
Shiraishi took the cigar, put it in his mouth, and walked to the burning fire of the money pile. He bent down, took a deep breath, and the flames reddened the tobacco as he exhaled a fragrant plume of smoke from his mouth.
Then he picked up the fire axe, twisted his waist, lifted his hips, and gracefully swung the axe, beginning to perform an axe dance from a kung fu movie.
No one spoke.
Even the most talkative reporter fell silent, watching the man before him dance a tango-like dance in front of burning banknotes, both dashing and mesmerizing.
For a moment, the reporter even had the urge to jump along, but thankfully, he managed to restrain himself.
"That's so cool!!"
In front of the color television, on the sofa, lay a girl with short, orange, side-parted hair, her hands supporting her chin, her feet resting on her peach-shaped buttocks, her eyes almost shining.
That damn man's charm couldn't be resisted even by a television screen.
"But that's too wasteful."
A look of heartache crossed her face; so much money, probably over a hundred million yen, and she was actually willing to burn it.
If you were to give her one-tenth of that, she would still have ten million yen. Even if that weren't enough for her to live on for a lifetime, it would at least allow her to financially move out of the Ishida Family.
Although my aunt is a good person at heart, she is too sharp-tongued on the surface, which can sometimes be unbearable.
Moreover, there were too many rules at home, it felt like a large cage. Luckily, she knew how to find joy in hardship, which prevented her from developing depression.
"Eh," she exhaled heavily. TV Tokyo remained silent, the silver-haired man engrossed in the mesmerizing dance.
She wants to be that carefree too.
" Masaki, it's your turn to take a bath."
A cool male voice interrupted her reverie. A handsome boy with silver hair stepped into the living room, shirtless, revealing six-pack abs, and wearing a white bath towel. He was drying his hair with a towel.
If the girls in the class saw this, they would definitely scream in shock.
Masaki Kurosaki reacted indifferently, casually replying, " Little Ryūken, wait until I finish reading this."
Her gaze was fixed on the color television screen. Before the broadcast, she had thought he was a vicious criminal, but now he seemed like an interesting man.
"What movie is this?" Ryūken Ishida stared at the silent screen. Burning money, dancing while smoking cigars—only Western movies would produce such exaggerated scenes.
Masaki Kurosaki swung her legs again and said with a smile, "No, this is a live news broadcast. A criminal robbed the Karakura Town First Bank and kidnapped the famous conglomerate boss Tai Hideo."
"Criminals? Hmph, boring." Ryūken Ishida felt a sense of disgust. He was rational and abhorred criminal acts driven by emotions.
No matter how glamorous things may seem now, men will never have a good ending afterward.
It's either the death penalty or a lifetime in the Jail.
"It's not that he's bored. Little Ryūken really doesn't understand anything. I can tell he's completely absorbed in it, sticking to his own ideas to the end. Isn't that cool?"
Masaki Kurosaki immediately retorted. Perhaps it was because she grew up with her emotionally reserved and expressionless cousin that she was so fond of people who dared to disregard rules and had a bold personality.
That's how you make life interesting. If you suppress everything and keep it all inside, it sounds cool, but you'll actually lead a miserable and meaningless life.
Ryūken Ishida didn't argue. There was no need to distinguish right from wrong in such a meaningless matter. He casually said, "I need to start my Quincy training. Don't stay up too late and interfere with my Quincy training."
"Hmm," Masaki Kurosaki wasn't particularly interested in Quincy training. Her aunt didn't allow Pure-Blood Quincy to fight, saying that Mixed-Blood Quincy should handle everything.
Why did she cultivate so diligently?
It's completely meaningless.
Masaki Kurosaki continued to stare at the television screen. After the mesmerizing dance, the reporter finally remembered it was time for the interview and stepped forward, saying, "Hello, I'm Hiramatsu Taro, a reporter from TV Tokyo. May I ask your name?"
" Shiraishi," the silver-haired man spoke.
"Mr. Shiraishi, why did you kidnap Tai Hideo? Was it for money, or was it due to personal grudges?"
"No, I want to see the fireworks."
"..." The reporter was momentarily speechless, many prepared questions disrupted by this answer. His mind raced for a moment before he finally came to his senses, asking with a look of astonishment, "You mean you want to see fireworks?"
Shiraishi countered, "That's right, don't you think riding a Ferris wheel at night and watching fireworks is a very romantic thing?"
The reporter was utterly speechless. This criminal was completely unpredictable; there was no tragic backstory, no hatred, and no lust for money. His motive was simply to watch the fireworks.
That's outrageous.
It's worth noting that over 500 police officers, hundreds of police cars, and three helicopters were on standby outside. The Tokyo even held a press conference specifically for this matter.
Haha, don't overthink it, just be happy.
Shiraishi put his arm around the reporter's shoulder.
The reporter couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Shiraishi, are you aware of the punishment you will face?"
Shiraishi said nonchalantly, "No one can punish me. Tonight at eight o'clock, my girlfriend and I will go to the Ferris wheel to watch the fireworks. After that, we will jump off the highest point together and end our lives."
The law cannot punish a dead person.
The reporter was bewildered again, turning around and exclaiming in astonishment, "Is it really that serious?"
"I have nothing left to cherish in this world."
Shiraishi answered with a smile, his expression extremely carefree.
In front of the color television, Masaki Kurosaki suddenly sat up from the sofa, her heart filled with curiosity about Shiraishi.
This was the first time in her life she had wanted to try to understand a complete stranger, to learn everything about him.
To put it more bluntly, she wanted to meet him.
Once the thought arose, she couldn't suppress it. After briefly considering her aunt and cousin's subsequent attitude, she quickly put it aside.
If she doesn't go see Shiraishi now, she'll definitely regret it later.
Masaki Kurosaki jumped off the sofa and ran to the entryway to put on her shoes.